Upper Intermediate Vocabulary Test 1 – ESL Vocabulary Exercises

Civilized comforts are the pleasant things that make life easy and refined, such as good food, films and comfortable seats on a plane. The other adjectives describe people or behaviour (lazy, competent) or have a negative meaning (vulgar, impotent), so they don't fit an airline's services.

The fixed phrase is in … terms, which means 'from the point of view of', e.g. in evolutionary terms, in economic terms. Not words: in evolutionary words is not a natural English phrase.

To be ignored means that people pay no attention to you, as if you weren't there. The saying contrasts an insult (rude attention) with being ignored (no attention at all), which feels even worse.

Imply means to suggest something without saying it directly; facts or results can imply a conclusion: The results imply that… Not infer: a person infers (draws a conclusion), but results cannot infer anything.

Infer means to reach a conclusion from what someone says, and it is followed by from: infer something from someone's remarks. Not imply: the speaker implies, and the listener infers.

To withdraw from a race or competition means to stop taking part in it. A puncture forced the champion to leave the race. Not deviate, which means to move away from a planned route or rule.

Illogical means not based on clear, sensible thinking. The clue is refuse to listen to reason. Not unintelligible, which means impossible to understand, usually about speech or writing.

To be dismissed means to be officially removed from your job. Here he lost his position because he kept disobeying orders. Not disrupted, which means interrupted or disturbed.

Injustice means unfair treatment; a gross injustice is a very serious one. The other options (fairness, impartiality, honesty, morality) are positive and contradict the idea of wrongly condemning someone.

Be bound to + verb means 'be certain to': They are bound to rise up against it. Not hostile: it's followed by to + a noun (hostile to the plan), not by a verb.

Invaluable means extremely useful, so valuable that you can't measure it. Be careful: despite the prefix in-, it does not mean 'without value'. Valueless and worthless mean the opposite.

Prosperity means wealth and economic success. The clue is bringing hundreds of jobs. Not tranquillity, which means peace and quiet; a new factory is unlikely to bring that.

The fixed sequence is rise, decline and fall. Decline means a gradual loss of strength or power before the final collapse. Not damage, which is harm to a thing, not a stage in history.

A straight answer is an honest, direct answer that doesn't avoid the question. Reluctant, obstinate and stubborn describe unwilling behaviour, which is the opposite of what the speaker wants.

Indecent means morally offensive or shocking, often in a sexual way. The clue is disgusted and enraged. Laudable means deserving praise, which is the opposite.

To revoke a licence or permission means to officially cancel it. Not revolted or revolved, which only look similar: revolt means to rebel, and revolve means to go round.

A terminal disease is an illness that cannot be cured and will cause death. The clue is only six months to live.

To be executed means to be killed as an official punishment. A pardon officially cancels that punishment, so it arrived just in time. Not released: without the pardon he would not have been set free.

The word versus shows a contrast with timid (shy, easily frightened). The opposite is aggressive, meaning ready to attack or fight, which also fits conflicts.

Probable means likely to happen. The speaker regrets that people ignore problems that will probably come. Improbable or impossible problems wouldn't be worth worrying about, so the regret makes no sense with them.

To accelerate growth means to make it happen faster, which fits strengthen its market position. Retard and hamper mean the opposite: slow down or make difficult.

An accomplice is a person who helps someone commit a crime. The clue is on his own: he needed another person. A car, a map or a gun wouldn't solve the problem of being alone.

To plead for mercy means to beg someone emotionally not to punish or hurt you. The image of falling on his knees supports this meaning.

Slight means very small. The clue is went unnoticed: nobody saw the difference because it was so small. Vast, obvious and enormous mean the opposite.

My lips are sealed is an idiom meaning 'I will keep your secret'. Not closed: the idiom always uses sealed. Pursed or puckered lips describe a facial expression.

To wander means to walk slowly with no clear direction; it goes naturally with aimlessly. Don't confuse it with wondered (from wonder, to ask yourself), which looks and sounds similar.

Rest assured (that) is a fixed phrase meaning 'you can be sure and stop worrying'. Not ensured or insured: they are similar words but are not used in this expression.

Subsequent means coming after something else. The punishment follows the crime, as in Dostoevsky's novel Crime and Punishment.

Illegible means impossible to read because it's written badly; the clue is I can't read your handwriting. Not illiterate, which describes a person who can't read or write.

To tiptoe means to walk quietly on the front part of your feet so that nobody hears you: He tiptoed into the kitchen. The other verbs don't describe a way of walking.